Load hanging bracket



June 9, 1964 D. w. SPRIGGLE 3,136,519

LOAD HANGING BRACKET Filed May 14, 1962 INVENTOR. DORRIS W. SPRIGGLE i w mm ATTORNEY United States Patent.

3,136,519 LOAD HANGING BRACKET Dorris W. Spriggle, 615 SW. 8th, Pendleton, Oreg. Filed May 14, 1962, Ser. No. 194,318 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-231) This invention relates to new and useful load hanging brackets.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a load hanging bracket adapted to support a load on an upstanding support and constructed so as to grip the support and hold itself in place without the use of fastening means or the like, and more specifically to support itself by the use of frictional grip means operative by a leverage resulting from the weight of the bracket and the load supported by the bracket.

A further object is to provide a load hanging bracket which is conveniently and rapidly mountable on an upright support.

Another object is to provide a load hanging bracket which is collapsible into a small unit for carrying or storage.

Still another object is to provide a bracket of the type described which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

Briefly stated, the load hanging bracket of the present invention employs a body member which in the mounted position of the bracket is adapted to lie along an upright support. Secured to the body member at its bottom end and projecting in one direction are means anchoring the bracket against lateral displacement relative to the support, and projecting in the opposite direction is an elongated arm adapted to be engaged by the load at its outer end. Secured to the upper end of the body member are support connecting or tie means adapted to extend around the support and hold it up against the latter and means connecting the upper end of the body member and the forward end of the arm whereby the outer end weight of the bracket and the load tend to rotate the body away from the support and thus apply a frictional, pulling, gripping connection between the support connecting means and the support to maintain the base in a non-sliding position on the support. The parts are arranged such that the bracket is collapsible into a small unit.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects thereof will become more apparent from the accompanying specification and claim considered together with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of the present load supporting bracket, a portion thereof being broken away;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the bracket, taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view, taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of load hanging bracket; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the .line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Referring in particular to the drawings and first to FIGS. 1-3 which show a first form of the invention, there is employed an upright body or base member which as apparent in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be channelshaped in cross section. Secured to the lower end of base 10 are rearwardly extending, divergent arms 12, such arms being adapted to project on opposite sides of a support S such as a post on which the bracket is to be mounted and prevent lateral displacement of the lower end of the body member 10. Also secured to the body member 10 at its lower end but projecting in the opposite direction from arms 12 is an car 13 pivotally supporting an elongated forwardly extending arm 14 by means of a pin 15. Arm 14 is comprised of a first tubular portion 16 and a second portion 18 telescopically received in the portion 16. Arm portion 16 has a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures 20 and arm portion 18 has a pair of diametrically disposed apertures 22 adapted for registry with selected apertures 20 and the reception of a pin 24 to connect said arm portions in desired telescoped positions for length adjustment of the arm 14.

The outer end of arm 14 is provided with a load hanging hook 26.

Pivotally mounted on the upper end of body 10 is a bifurcated link 28, the pivotal connection between the link and the body member being accomplished by a pin 30. Secured to one side of the link 28 is an eye 32 in which is fastened the end link of a chain 34. The opposite side of the link 28 has a hook 36 for detachable engagement of a link of the chain 34, whereby the upper end of the body member is adapted to be held in upright position on the support by wrapping the chain around the support and attaching a suitable link thereof to hook 36. The chain 34 may assume a length sufiicient to accommodate various sized supports. It is to be understood that means other than a chain may be employed to hold the upper end of body 10 into the support, it being only necessary that such holding means have sufi'icient tensile strength to hold a heavy load and to accomplish a frictional grip on the support when tightly pulled thereagainst.

Secured to the upper end of link 28 is one end of a chain 38 adapted for detachable connection, by means of one of its links at its other end, to a hook 40 secured integrally to the arm 14 adjacent the outer end of the latter. Chain 38 is of a length to support the arm 14 in a horizontal position or in upwardly or downwardly inclined position as desired, such positions of the arm depending upon the link selected to engage the hook 40.

Thus, in the mounted position of the present bracket on a support S, the chain 34 is wrapped around the support to hold the upper end of the body thereagainst, the lower end of the body being anchored against lateral shifting by divergent arms 12. The weight of the outer end of the bracket will pull down with sufficient force on chain 38 to tighten chain 34 against the support and cause it to frictionally grip the support and prevent the bracket from sliding down, the lower end of the body being compressed inwardly against the support. The frictional gripping action of the chain 34 is greatly magnified when a load is hung from the end of the arm 14 to insure the anchoring of the bracket on the support. Thus, no positive connecting means such as nails, screws, bolts, etc. between the bracket and support are necessary.

The frictional gripping force of the chain is also magnified by the lever action of link 28 since as apparent in FIG. 1, the eye 32 and book 36 holding the chain 34 are disposed below the center of said link.

In the modified form of the invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, link 28a comprises a single lever bar and is pivotally mounted intermediate the legs of the channel shaped body member 10, by the pivot pin 30. In this embodiment, the chain 34 is connected at one of its ends to an eye 32a on the base and detachably connected at its other end to a hook 36a also on the body. The link 28a is adapted to engage the support when pivoted forwardly, as shown in FIG. 4. The point of engagement of the lever with the support comprises its lower inner side edge 42. Such engaging edge portion of the link 28a is rounded.

By means of this structure, in addition to the pull on chain 34 to establish a frictional grip on the support to hold the bracket on the latter, the edge portion 42 also engages the support and frictionally engages it to add to the gripping forces of the chain. The gripping forces of the link are also magnified by its lever action resulting from the short length of link portion on the lower end of its pivot as opposed to the longer end above the pivot.

Thus, according to the present invention there is provided a load hanging bracket which is adapted for engagement with various sized supports and when supporting a load will anchor itself against downward movement on the support without the use of positive connecting or fastening means. This facilitates convenient and rapid mounting of the bracket on a support and similar detach ment therefrom] The bracket is particularly useful by hunters or the like wherein objects are to be temporarily supported above the ground.

The pivot connection 13 between the body member 11 and the arm 114 permits these two elements to be folded together in a compact unit for carrying and storage.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herein shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various other changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claim. 7

Having thus described my invention, I claim;

A load hanging bracket for mounting on an upright the upper and lower ends of the latter and being adapted to be tied around the support for holding the upper end of the body member adjacent the support, and connecting means connected between the'upper end of said lever member and the load supporting end of said load supporting arm whereby outward pulling forces on said connecting means from the weight of a load operates said lever to apply a magnified frictional grip of said tie means on the support.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS Watson Apr. 11, 1911 2,201,138 Hyde May 21, 1940 2,241,695 Barton May 13, 1941 

